Charlyne, Below, is a classic description and division of the Orphans' Court. The Orphans’ Court handled the sale and division of real estate out of estates, the confirmation and auditing of accounts, and the guardianship of minor children (who may not be orphans). There are two types of orphans’ court files: 1) A decedent's estate contains records of an estate settlement; it is a continuation of the probate process. The most common type of record in these files is an account of administration. Most of these are duplicates of accounts that were filed with the will or administration (probate) records. Records related to the sale or division of real estate are not duplicated in the probate file; these papers may list family members. Records related to the auditing of accounts may also contain information of genealogical value. 2) A minor's estate contains guardianship papers. A minor was someone under the age of 21. A child could have a guardian even if one or both parents were alive. The guardian was given charge of the minor's property; in most cases, the minor continued to live with family members. Guardianship records often name one or both parents and state if the child was above or below the age of fourteen. Typical files contain petitions for guardians; by the second half of the 19th century, inventories and guardianship accounts become more common. The files are not duplicates of probate records. The Bradford County Courthouse, in Towanda, holds the Orphans' Court Records and they also have an Index to the records. Good luck on your research. Paul Newell Ellicott City, MD In a message dated 10/16/2002 4:21:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > I need a little help. I have the Administration Papers of Asahel Culver. H > e died in 1851 and these papers state the best I can figure out is that his > estate was sold and monies left went to the ophans court. Does any one know > what this means. Did it mean his family was left with nothening. Every > household item and farming tool is listed. Also every creditor is > listed.What is the Orphans Court? Also it states that his sawmill was > sold. Does any one know anything about a sawmill in Covington in 1851. I > know this is a lot to ask but will appreciate any help anyone can give me. > Thanks in advance > Charlyne >